Lions, Tigers, and Bears.

A Tourette’s-inspired article.

Long story short, I needed a break from some of my usual writing and I mentioned I didn’t know what to write about. Well, my daughter has Tourette's Syndrome and is often a hilarious source of commentary.

“Write about bears!” lol. So here I am, checking out lions, tigers, and bears in the Bible.

So, were they in the Bible?

Lions and bears definitely are, but not tigers, interestingly.

Bears are first mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:34–37, well lion is in there too, but this is the first mention of a bear. It was likely the Syrian Brown bear, given the area they used to inhabit.

It’s strange to think sometimes that bears lived in that region, I always think of sand, desert, and tents, not bears.

Wikipedia

Lions are first mentioned in Genesis 49:9, so they definitely have a longer history in the Bible than bears. Lions have been used in multiple contexts in Scripture, from Jesus being called the Lion of Judah to the time Peter described satan as a prowling lion as a warning for us.

It is believed that the species of lion was the Asiatic Lion. I didn’t know this, but apparently, lions were everywhere back in the day, and sadly, they are now endangered.

Wikipedia

Isn’t she a beauty?!!

Found out that tigers are not in the Bible, and neither are domestic cats, despite all the imaginary out there, especially in Egypt. Tigers are not native to that area, so Bible authors would never talk about them, let alone even know what they are. Now, I don’t own a leopard, but I do I have four cats, all of them with major ‘tudes. lol

Sherlock

This one talks to me and is constantly gossiping about the other three. He’s my Devon Rex, and because of his fur and skin always looks like he went through a toaster oven. Because of his breed, he is always cold in the winter, he used to wear his sweaters till he discovered the heat vent in the bathroom. Now he has his own bathroom mat and practically lives in there all winter, and stays in there even when we take showers.

Flerken

This “little” guy is the world’s biggest cuddler. He lives under blankets with my daughter, often jumping up and nudging the blanket till you let him in. He is a Ginger Manx and has no tail, funniest part is he gets in a mood where he chases his tail, so basically he’s chasing his butt. lol

Simba

This picture sums up this one’s ‘tude. He’s in the teenage stage right now. He also has his own see-through cat backpack, walks with our dog Clyde on a leash, and has zero fear of being outside. Last summer he hung outside with the entire family during our summer city days. He took over a camping chair, sat there, and watched the games for two days.

Squirrely

This is the queen of the house, she runs the roost big time, lol, and loves my daughter more than anything. She is my assistant when my daughter is having a dystonic episode or severe tic attack. Often, she meows to my daughter as though talking to her; she also turns to me and talks to me, and you see the concern on her face and in her movements. She snuggles on her chest distracting her, and helps calm my daughter.

Hope you guys enjoyed a little something different and fun. I’ve realized that I really miss doing my strange little offshoots or rabbit hole thoughts, and I plan to do them more. I love my serious writing but I also just love the little things in the Bible and want time with those again as well.

© Jane Isley

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